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It’s not often that you get to bring a beloved pet back to life, but when West Highland terrier Max had a cardiac arrest during major surgery, that’s exactly what happened

Max’s owner, Doris, had no idea her dog had received emergency CPR from PDSA vet Stephen McArdle to restart his heart. “Max is my only companion and means everything to me,” says Doris, from Liverpool. She and the vets agreed to go ahead with his life-saving operation.

“When they told me he’d made it through, it was like a miracle. The vets basically brought him back from the dead and also completed the planned surgery for his cancer, and I’m so grateful,” she adds.

Helping hand: private vet bills are unaffordable for many people

PDSA vet Olivia Anderson-Nathan also sees first-hand the amazing bond between people and their pets. She says: “For many of our clients, who may be elderly or living with significant health problems, their pet is their only companion.

The PDSA (People’s Dispensary for Sick Animals) has been saving the lives of pets like Max for more than 100 years. It was founded in Whitechapel, London, in 1917 by animal welfare pioneer Maria Dickin.

Still going strong: the PDSA has been treating sick animals for over a century

The idea of a veterinary service for the pets of those most in need first came to her when she visited some of London’s poorest communities. The sight of animals suffering in silence was something that she found unbearable.

Dickin also set up Busy Bees, a club for children to learn how to take care of their pets. PDSA is now the UK’s leading veterinary charity, providing a range of free and reduced-cost services to pet owners in need.

Since those early days the charity has cared for more than 20 million vulnerable pets and provided more than 100 million treatments. Every working day across the UK, it helps close to 5,500 pets – or about 13 every minute.

Leading light: the PDSA was founded by animal welfare pioneer Maria Dickin

The sign outside Dickin’s first hospital read: ‘Bring your sick animals. Do not let them suffer.’ But such treatment is costly, as anyone who has experienced that emergency dash without insurance knows only too well.

It costs more than £60m to provide PDSA veterinary care each year and the charity relies entirely on public support with no government funding.

Nonetheless, every year PDSA, thanks to its team of 1,000 vets and nurses, performs 2.7 million treatments at 48 dedicated Pet Hospitals around the UK, helping owners who simply can’t afford the full cost of the preventive and emergency care their pets need.